Breaking one of my cardinal rules
 

I started bike commuting again about a year-and-a-half ago. I got back to it for three reasons: 1) I needed to slow down in general and on my bike in particular. I felt like I was flying through life without seeing things and bike commuting was a way to dial things back and look around. 2) There were too many times when I would go 2 or 3 weeks between rides, so I was always kind of falling out of shape and having to catch up. 3) I had started tinking with older bikes and was developing a stable that I wanted to ride regularly (my commuter is a baby blue powdercoated 1991 Stumpjumper, with only the seatpost and seatpost binder remaining from the original bike, with Soma Sparrow bars, platform pedals, dynohub with front and rear lights, rack, etc., etc.). It's been great.

So, I've ridden much more since I started bike commuting again, mixing in road rides with my go fast and my tourer, singletrack with various MTBs and my fatbike, and winter riding with the fattie. My fitness is good, but not topflight, and I haven't had the time to put in a lot of road miles. I have a January cycling event coming up, however, so a few weeks ago I decided to lengthen my commute and go harder (from about a 12.5 mph average to 17.5 or so). I miss the easy cruising, but this is really helping. I'm curious how many of you occasionally use commuting as a way of ramping up the fitness before a race.

I don't race, but my commutes are rarely leisurely. :)

And your cardinal rules are**********

+1

I feel I'm missing out on an opportunity for a workout if I don't push myself. Not talking about structured training here, but at least get into the zone where I'm getting an aerobic benefit from the commute. Of course, if others choose to do a "mellow spin" for their commute, that's fine too. Whatever gets you (and keeps you) on the bike instead of the car is OK by me.

I know the traffic light pattern on my 15 mile commute, so it's mostly around 15 mph steady pace with 1 500 yard sprint, 1 section of 3/4 mile hard riding (to stay ahead of the traffic that will come behind me when the light changes behind me), and about 2 miles where I can either just relax if I want, or fly as fast as I want to push, depending on how I feel that day.

Commuting is my main form of fitness since I left the military and essentially quit running. I hit it hard every time I get on the saddle. I do long distance events when I can, but I don't race.

Every day.

Keep the damn car in the garage. Slow down and look. Ride all my bikes regularly.

Of course I look at life through a certain lens and right now the reality is that I don't have time to do all the things that I'd like to be doing. And it kind of kills me because I have to take a pass on a lot of opportunities.

So, looking at your rules through my lens I would either have fewer bikes or get rid of the rule that says I need to ride them all regularly. I don't need that kind of self-imposed pressure. They're your rules, you're allowed to change them.

I definitely have and would use my commute to train for an upcoming event because it's an efficient use of time. If you prefer to cruise on your commute instead, you could alternate days. If that doesn't do it, I'd say then you've got to decide what's more important to you at this time. However, I do think you want to continue to see commuting as something you enjoy, otherwise you may not keep doing it. If training is killing the joy, perhaps it's not worth it.

I don't race, or consider speed a virtue, and I ride heavy bikes in a very hilly environment, I get enough of a workout for my needs.

To me, cycling isn't a pie eating contest to win, its a picnic to enjoy.

I love going hard. I also love ice cream. Too much of either is detrimental. Smelling the roses is trite, but it's also apt. For a few months, however, I need to use commuting for something different.

As for all the bikes, there are only five. The MTB I get out on the least, maybe twice a month March through October for some easy singletrack. The commuter gets daily use in the same timeframe. The fatty is my commuter and my workout partner November into March. My racer gets ridden a few times a week March through October. The tourer I ride when I go out with my wife, and I also have it built up to do gravel grinding in the future. I like the variety. I used to need an "offseason" from biking. In the past cycling sometimes felt like a chore that had to be done, but because I now ride multiple bikes that are so different I don't feel that anymore.

Beautifully said.

I actually started commuting in order to train. I was preparing for a triathlon and scheduled my rides after work. But I was finding it too easy to blow off after a long day at work, then ride the bus home, get changed, get out the bike, etc. I figured that if I had my bike with me at the end of work, I would have no excuse, I would have my bike and I could do my training session and get myself home all in one shot. I would ride to work in my normal office clothes and bring my shorts and jersey in a backpack. Worked great, no longer skipped the training rides, and discovered that I preferred riding to work over riding the bus or driving. So I kept bike commuting.


Since then, I've switched from triathlon to road racing and continue to incorporate commuting into training. Or incorporate training into commuting. Whatever, it doesn't matter. You have to get yourself to work and back AND you need to get in a certain amount of training time so it makes all the sense in the world to combine the two. I know lots of racers who do the same. A former teammate is a district TT champ. He will occasionally commute on his TT bike just to get time in the saddle on that bike.

My typical week:

M: FTP ride. I drop my bag at the office and meet my training partner at the trail. 2x30'. Ride back to the office, hop in the shower, dress, and at my desk by 8:40
T: VO2max or neuromuscular. These are short and hard; the entire workout is less than 60' so I can usually get them done at lunch or on the ride home. I bring my shorts and jersey in my backpack.
W: Same as Monday
T: Tempo or group ride. Tonight is the Airport Ride and I'll try to make that, catch the group at 6, do the ride, ride home.
F: Recovery day, just an easy commute
S: Race or group ride
S: Race or very easy ride with the kids.

So if your event is in January, you have plenty of time to get fit for it. I would suggest putting together a training plan and then seeing how you can fit it into your commute.

What am I missing at 20 mph that I would otherwise see at 10 mph?

It sounds like you're not breaking cardinal rules so much as adjusting priorities, - which is normal and necessary.

Cardinal Rule #1 , - there are no cardinal rules.

It is clear from this statement that you have an addiction and are in denial. Own it. ;)

Try explaining to a non-enthusiast how the word "only" is appropriate when describing the number of bikes you have.

I'm not trying to talk you out of owning that many bikes, it's just that the rule about riding them regularly is something I perhaps misunderstood. If the rule is really: "If I don't ride it regularly, it's time to get rid of it" then I think it's a good rule. If the rule is "Crap, I haven't ridden the MTB in 3 months, I need to take it out this weekend." then I think you should scrap that rule.

If training for this event in January means that you're spending more time on your road bike (or whatever) at the expense of the others, so be it. If these events become a regular thing that you enjoy and you find that you never ride some of those other bikes, again, so be it.

Quite a bit, actually.

Yep. That's closer.

I'm actually spending less time on my road bike. I'm using the commuter for training instead of for dial it back time.

I have no interest whatsoever in racing, either participating or watching, nor in participating in group events. I like riding and for me it's a way to be alone and just think for a while every day.

I don't ride my winter bike all summer, but I'm not going to get rid of it because 23mm tires don't do very well on ice. And I'm not going to get rid of the road bike over the winter, because I don't want to ride a 45 pound behemoth with IGH and fat tires in the summer.

I let my legs be my guide... if they seem a bit sluggish, I will take it easier, if they feel good, I will go hard... so there are a mixture of effort in my commutes.

Just speaking for me, if I'm riding at 20 mph, I'm focused solely on riding; my head is probably down, I'm in much more of an aero position, and I'm constantly scanning the road ahead for potential obstacles, etc. because I want to have as much time as possible to react to a changing situation. I'm definitely not spending a lot of time enjoying the scenery. At 10 mph I have the time to watch deer in the field, see the coyote running through the bushes, watch the hawk soaring overhead, etc. As I said, this is just me; if your level of conditioning and reflexes allow you to watch the scenery and wildlife as you pass by at 20 mph, more power to you.

It also depends on where one is riding. In cookie cutter suburbia it doesn't make much of a difference, but most places I ride other than my commute have a lot to be missed at higher speeds.
Our local MUT is mostly through wetlands with a lot worth seeing that will be missed if going fast. Sometimes I like riding it before sunrise of after sunset, I set my bars all the way up, use a high gear peddling around 30-40 rpm, at 5 or 6 mph. Having a totally silent igh bike allows me to sneak up on all sorts of wildlife.

The first/last two miles of my commute are beautiful, and worth slowing down for when I have the time.

I am not a racer. Last year and this year, my work sponsored a bunch of guys to participate in a local duathlon/triathlon that benefits the military. I did the duathlon (run/bike/run), and mostly my training focused on running (which I absolute loathe), but occasionally I would run before and/or after commuting to practice transition and putting them back to back. And sometimes I would incorporate some intervals into my commute.

But mostly I'm just too lazy. My commutes are usually like something between a casual and brisk walk. About the only time/way I make an effort to go faster is to get in the drops when I'm coasting downhill.

I always feel like I am late so I push it constantly. https://youtu.be/OmEVH1qfLbw

Wildlife is vastly overrated, and sometimes can be downright dangerous.

You could argue that by temporarily combining your commuting with your training you are making the best use of your time, and freeing up other time to smell the roses. If you had a leisurely commute and then went out again, to train, it would cut a lot into your home and family time. This way you have more time for that too.